Fortunately I didn’t have to pretend for long, as a welcome distraction came in the form of twelve knights marching neatly into the room. They were dressed in finely crafted uniforms of white and grey, with gold trimmings and a deep green cloak emblazoned with the Duchy’s symbol: a golden eagle with two crossed swords. Whispers of admiration spread through the crowd of squires, and even I had to admit they looked extremely cool. The perfect line of knights came to a halt before us, led by a tall man with a black moustache. I recognized Cassandra standing next to him, as well as a few other knights from the trials. I tried giving her a little wave, but she didn’t even spare me a glance, leaving me feeling a little deflated.

The moustache man gave Cassandra a nod and she clapped her hands loudly, shouting, “Atteeen-tion!”

The squires jumped to what they thought attention looked like, resulting in half of them saluting and the other half puffing out their chests like I was. I swear I thought I saw Cassandra’s stoney face crack a smile, but it was gone before I could even register it. 

“You call that attention?! You slimey sacks of uselessness, are you trying to make a joke of the Rhinestadt Knights?!”

We all tried to adjust our postures as best as we thought possible: as a result, those who were puffing out their chest switched to saluting, and those who were saluting switched to puffing out their chest. I noticed Beet Barbie was doing neither; she was standing to attention with her right hand held to her chest, clenched in a fist, and the other arm held behind her back. 

“Terrible! Awful! If the Lord was here, he’d throw you to the pigs for your uselessness!” Cassandra snapped, her expression full of nothing but serious anger. “You useless pillbugs, this is how you salute!” 

With that she gestured to the knights following her. “Atteeeen-tion!”

They stomped their right foot in perfect unison with a loud thump, which was quickly followed by another as they slapped their right fist to their chest. Meanwhile, the left arm disappeared behind their backs in a perfected version of Marianne’s salute. 

“You see? This is what you should be achieving! Perfection!” snapped Cassandra to the subdued squires. “Perfection is the minimum required to serve Lord Rhinestadt!! You think you can live a cushy life now that you passed the trials? You think you can lay back and relax, believing that a knighthood will simply fall into your hands now that you’re a squire? No!”

Cassandra  leered at us with a glare that could melt steel. She had a lot more ferocity than I realized, and I added her name to the list of people I should avoid angering any further - it was starting to get rather long. 

Cassandra continued. 

“You have to work to earn your place amongst our ranks! Every single day, for the next five years, you will have to train! To fight! To prove yourself worthy! And for those who fail… should they prove unworthy… Perhaps they’re better off serving amongst the commoners in the footsoldier division!”

I could feel the gazes of the other squires settle on me. Talk about rude… though I was the first commoner squire in ten years. It was hardly surprising they would target me, even if I hadn’t already made an ass of myself. I ignored the looks as best I could, keeping my eyes trained on Cassandra like the good little student I was. 

Cassandra paused to take a breath, her tone of dramatic tension lessening slightly. 

“I am Commander Cassandra de Aviont, one of the leading officers of the Duchy of Rhinestadt. You will refer to me as ‘Commander Aviont’ or ‘My Lady’. I command the logistics division, as well as intelligence and internal affairs, and you will answer to me during your training!”

She gestured to Mr. Moustache standing next to her. “The respected knight beside me is General Kristian, head commander of the Rhinestadt Garrison! He is second in command only to Lord Rhinestadt, and the man you will receive your orders from should you become a knight. General Kristian is a highly decorated knight, having won at least fifteen battles over his tenured career! Be honoured he has graced us with his presence today-”

“Harumph, yes, thank you Commander Cass- Ahem, Aviont, for the fine introductions,” coughed Mr. Moustache, cutting Cassandra off. Cassandra stepped back, giving Kristian a short bow as she did so. 

“Ahem, welcome one and all! It is good to see such fine lords have managed to pass the exams…” His voice weakened as his gaze settled on me, but his confidence returned as he decided I didn’t exist. “It feels like yesterday when I stood where you stand now, eager and excited to join the mighty Rhinestadt Knights. I was a naught but a green and keen boy, eager to show off to the girls; what boy here hasn’t joined for such a reason? Hahaha…”

I swear I saw Cassandra roll her eyes as General Kristian trailed off again, his attempt at being relatable rapidly crumbling apart. 

“Ahem! Anyways… The Rhinestadt Knights have been the proud guardians of the Rhinestadt Family for nearly three hundred years! We have fought for them through peacetime and war, through thick and thin. Whether it was escorting a lady to the castle, or following the head of the house onto the battlefield, we have always completed our duty with pride and honour! As you train and fight over the next five years, always remember those two words; pride and honour! Pride in who we serve, and honour in how we serve! Once you have understood these tenants, you will understand what it means to be a knight.”

The squires nodded and grinned to each other, pretending they already understood what he was talking about. Meanwhile I could still feel Edward’s gaze burning its way into my skull, despite the speech; part of me wanted to flatter my eyes at him romantically to see if that would get him off my back. 

General Kristian cleared his throat yet again. 

“Ahem! Now that we have covered that, it’s time for your assignments! Every squire will be assigned to a senior knight. Your duties will be to serve that knight to the best of your abilities, such as looking after their clothes and armour, cleaning their weapons and their rooms. You will bandage their wounds, accompany them to the battlefield and obey their orders to the letter. You will be their personal servant, and a personal servant does not question their master, in anything!”

Murmurs echoed out amongst the squires as he continued. 

“In exchange you will be personally trained by your assigned knight. You will learn what it means to serve the Rhinestadt Duchy as a knight, and after you have passed your final test, you will be knighted as a Knight of Rhinestadt, an honor you will carry for the rest of your life. Glory awaits for those able to reach out and seize it!”

He pumped his fist into the air, eliciting a cheer from the squires as they fantasized about their future.

Cassandra stepped forward, a parchment in her hands. 

“You will now be assigned to your knight. Whining or complaining will not be tolerated; you will remain with whomever we have assigned you. Once your name is called, go stand beside your new master. Now listen closely!”

A hush settled over the rooms as we all listened in, excited about who we would be serving. I wasn’t sure how this would work with the bodyguard assignment Rhinestadt had given me, but if I was assigned a knight I hoped I was lucky enough to get one of the two female ones - I did not want to have to wash a strange man’s underwear. 

“Serving Sir Carmen: Jonathan Wilton.”

A pallid, short looking knight on the end stepped forward, and a boy eagerly ran over to him, an expression of mixed excitement and worry on his face. Cassandra continued without looking up from her page once, going down the line. Gradually the squires began to thin out, and I garnered more and more interested looks as I was passed over. Everyone seemed to want to know where the weird commoner girl would end up.  

Finally only Edward, Beet Barbie and I were left, staring at each other in the most uncomfortable fashion imaginable. I swear, I definitely saw Cassandra’s stony visage crack with an evil looking smile this time. 

“As for you three… as the top three scorers of the swordsmanship tournament, you have earned the special privilege of serving someone other than a knight. You will be serving Lady Violette as her personal bodyguards.”

She was forced to pause as the room filled with gasps. Despite expecting this, I was still unprepared for how delightful Beet Barbie’s expression was; she really knew how to put on an interesting face. Was it excitement at being able to directly serve the Duke’s daughter? Or was it horror that I would be right next to her the whole way?

“For your combat training, I will be training you three personally. You will also require additional training from the head maid in order to serve Lady Violette properly. 

“B-but it’s not fair!” screamed one of the squires; I think his name was Heath? Keith, maybe? “How can a filthy cheating commoner serve the lady?! She wasn’t even part of the tournament!” 

Cassandra narrowed her eyes at this intrusion, glaring at the squire. “What did I say?! Complaints and whining will not be tolerated! Regardless of her method, she defeated the top scorer of the tournament! If you’re upset, then fight her yourself!” 

The squire quieted at this, seemingly surprised at the idea. I suppressed a swallow as I tried to keep my cool; did she seriously just invite them to pick a fight with me?

“Now that everyone has their assignments, you are all dismissed. Ask your knight for further instructions, or, if you like, you can request a tour of the barracks. This place is quite large, and the faster you familiarize yourself, the better. Understood?”

We all nodded eagerly, excited to begin our training. 

“Good. DIIIIISS-MISSED!” bellowed Cassandra with a final flair. Conversation erupted as the knights began talking to their newly acquired squires, and Cassandra marched up to Edmund, Beet Barbie, and I.

“As for you three,” she grumbled with a pointed finger. “You are to come with me. It is time to meet the master you’ll be serving.”